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CloseIn a striking admission, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told an audience of venture capitalists that Microsoft had "screwed up" with the Windows Mobile operating system. And that the group responsible for the OS had been restructured recently to address those shortcomings.

Computerworld's Matt Hamblen reported the comments after he picked up a Twitter stream on Ballmer's comments, from VCs attending the conference. According to the tweats, Ballmer also acknowledged that the about-to-be-released Windows Mobile 6.5 was not the release he had hoped for in 2009. According to one tweat, Ballmer said he wished version 7 of the OS was ready now, instead of next year.

The 6.5 release, due out in a few weeks on a new crop of Windows phones, has a subtly retooled user interface, with more emphasis on making the UI easier to use. There is also much greater support for multi-touch screens.

But the major innovation may prove to be the inclusion Internet Explorer Mobile 6, the first Microsoft mobile browser to incorporate a full HTML rendering engine, based on desktop IE 6. That alone may make the new crop of 6.5-based phones more usable and more popular. Though as critics have pointed out, the udnerlying IE 6 engine is now several years old, while mobile browsers from Apple and Mozilla and others are based on the more recent, highly regarded Webkit code.

Ballmer didn't go into details about the organizational changes. But that will be important to signal how ambitious and how determined Microsoft is to be a mobile platform player.

Anlaysts have pointed out Windows Mobile is only a tiny fraction of the company's revenues and profits. And some pointed to the recent Microsoft-Nokia deal as evidence that Redmond was playing to its strengths -- enabling easier, smoother access to its wide range of server-based products and services for mobile workers and consumers.

CloseIn a striking admission, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told an audience of venture capitalists that Microsoft had "screwed up" with the Windows Mobile operating system. And that the group responsible for the OS had been restructured recently to address those shortcomings.

Computerworld's Matt Hamblen reported the comments after he picked up a Twitter stream on Ballmer's comments, from VCs attending the conference. According to the tweats, Ballmer also acknowledged that the about-to-be-released Windows Mobile 6.5 was not the release he had hoped for in 2009. According to one tweat, Ballmer said he wished version 7 of the OS was ready now, instead of next year.

The 6.5 release, due out in a few weeks on a new crop of Windows phones, has a subtly retooled user interface, with more emphasis on making the UI easier to use. There is also much greater support for multi-touch screens.

But the major innovation may prove to be the inclusion Internet Explorer Mobile 6, the first Microsoft mobile browser to incorporate a full HTML rendering engine, based on desktop IE 6. That alone may make the new crop of 6.5-based phones more usable and more popular. Though as critics have pointed out, the udnerlying IE 6 engine is now several years old, while mobile browsers from Apple and Mozilla and others are based on the more recent, highly regarded Webkit code.

Ballmer didn't go into details about the organizational changes. But that will be important to signal how ambitious and how determined Microsoft is to be a mobile platform player.

Anlaysts have pointed out Windows Mobile is only a tiny fraction of the company's revenues and profits. And some pointed to the recent Microsoft-Nokia deal as evidence that Redmond was playing to its strengths -- enabling easier, smoother access to its wide range of server-based products and services for mobile workers and consumers.

if I were microsoft I'd make it possible for this iteration of htc devices also able to run windows mobile 7 to widen availability

No current device, nor any device released in the next 3-5 months, will be able to run WinMo 7 when it is released. Oh, someone will mod it, but it won't run the way it was intended and much of its functionality will be lost. Frankly, I'm glad to hear it. I got tired of all the cheapskates who tried to load Vista onto their 2002 CPU, found out they didn't have what it takes, then blamed the OS. Wrong. Vista worked perfectly fine on a machine built to handle it; the same will go for WM7 when it comes.

That said, MS did not fail with WinMo. Oh, they may have fallen behind, but it's to their advantage. Think about it. They've had all this time to see Apple and Google unload their OSes, and now MS knows the base expectations of smartphone consumers and what they need to do to take the industry to the next level. Combine WM7 with Zune and XBOX and it's the God Phone we've all been waiting for.

All MS does is sell WinMo licenses, and they have sold more in the past few years than Apple has sold iPhones. I'll admit WM7 is either going to be a game changer for MS or it's going to be game over for them. Either way, we should find out what it looks like @ CES, and how it works one year from now.

No current device, nor any device released in the next 3-5 months, will be able to run WinMo 7 when it is released. Oh, someone will mod it, but it won't run the way it was intended and much of its functionality will be lost. Frankly, I'm glad to hear it. I got tired of all the cheapskates who tried to load Vista onto their 2002 CPU, found out they didn't have what it takes, then blamed the OS. Wrong. Vista worked perfectly fine on a machine built to handle it; the same will go for WM7 when it comes.

That said, MS did not fail with WinMo. Oh, they may have fallen behind, but it's to their advantage. Think about it. They've had all this time to see Apple and Google unload their OSes, and now MS knows the base expectations of smartphone consumers and what they need to do to take the industry to the next level. Combine WM7 with Zune and XBOX and it's the God Phone we've all been waiting for.

All MS does is sell WinMo licenses, and they have sold more in the past few years than Apple has sold iPhones. I'll admit WM7 is either going to be a game changer for MS or it's going to be game over for them. Either way, we should find out what it looks like @ CES, and how it works one year from now.

Vista is a x86 architecture Operating System that requires Gigs of RAM and GHZ of processor power to function. How can you compare that working to a ARM architecture Pocket PC with MB of RAM and MHZ of processor power.

Since all the hardware between now and next year's Win7 is the same, there is no reason what-so-ever that Win7's functionality will be lost with its release and us WinMo 6.5 and 6.1ers left behind.

Vista is a x86 architecture Operating System that requires Gigs of RAM and GHZ of processor power to function. How can you compare that working to a ARM architecture Pocket PC with MB of RAM and MHZ of processor power.

Since all the hardware between now and next year's Win7 is the same, there is no reason what-so-ever that Win7's functionality will be lost with its release and us WinMo 6.5 and 6.1ers left behind.

Well?

I wasn't comparing the hardware whatsoever. I was comparing the presumptuous cheapskates who just have to have a TP2 now and then keep their fingers crossed that twelve months from now it will work with WM7. Chances are, it won't, at least not the way it was intended. XDA-Devs will cook up something, no doubt, but it won't be 100% compatible.

Also, how will all the hardware between now and then be the same? The hardware and the featuresets with every manufacturer, carrier and OS is changing all the time and will absolutely change in the next year. Can you name any phones on the shelves in the U.S. right now with Snapdragon or Tegra? No, you can't. One year from now, you will.